The Biblical Basis of Missions

What verses come to mind when you think of the word, “missions”? Most of us can only think of the Great Commission. Foryears our church culture has singled out this passage to be the theme of our missions conferences and the motivation for those who go. However, the Bible has a lot more to say on this subject then just Mt. 28:18-20. We need to understand the concept of the Biblical basis for missions, because if this isn’t something that God is passionate about in His Word, than neither should we be. Since creation, God has been interested in redeeming all peoples to Himself. As Christians, it is vital that we see the world as He sees it.

Let’s look at the Bible in light of God’s heart for the world, and we will see that from Genesis to the Revelation He is beckoning you and I and all of His people to join Him in bringing every people group to His throne. The Bible is not a collection of separate books with no common theme or story. It is one book expressing God’s heart to have relationship with everyone on earth.
Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth …”

Wow, the very first words God ever spoke to mankind: be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. Now why would he say the whole earth? Because God had this perfect relationship with Adam and Eve walking and talking the garden. God desired that type of relationship with more people and wanted them spread out through the whole earth. However, we know that by Genesis 3 sin had crept in and by chapter 8 the world was not looking good. So, as God floods the earth and starts over, listen to the command He gives Noah, just after he steps off the ark.
Genesis 9:1 “Then God blessed Noah and his sons saying to them, ” Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. ”

Sound familiar? “Hey Noah, don’t just populate a city, fill the earth.” There it is again, the command to multiply. So as we come to chapter 11 there should be one simple question on all of our minds: Does God get the earth filled? Lets keep reading,
Genesis 11: 1-4 “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there …Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth .’”

Can’t you hear the talk of the town? “You know, we all look the same, act the same, talk the same, eat the same, and dress the same. Let’s just stay right here and make a name for ourselves. Do we really want to be scattered? We’re comfortable here! ” This does not exactly sound like they are excited about obeying God’s command. Because of man’s urge to settle, God is forced to step in and scatter, filling the earth just as He desired.
Genesis 11:7-8 “‘Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth , and they stopped building the city.”

So, as we end the introduction we see that God has a problem: people scattered all over the earth speaking many different languages. How is He going to reach all of them? What will He do? Who will He use? The plot begins.
Genesis 12:1-3 “The Lord had said to Abram, ‘ Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you…I will bless you… and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you .’”

Hey Abram, leave. Leave your country, your people, your family, your life, your dreams, your ambitions, your future as well as all that you know and are familiar with and go to the land I will show you. Now if you keep reading, something really weird happens…
Genesis 12:4 ” So Abram left , as the Lord had told him.”

He leaves. Man obeys God. This is a pretty weird concept especially in today’s world. So Abram is off to establish a nation that will bless all peoples. Interestingly, this command was not for Abram alone. Watch God continue to call succeeding generations to reach all nations. Next in line is Abraham’s son, Isaac.
Genesis 26:4 “I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed .”

And to Isaac’s son, Jacob:
Genesis 28:14 “Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring ”

The rest of the Old Testament is filled with God using Israel to make His name great among the nations. Here are just a few examples:

The 10 Commandments
Deuteronomy 4:5-6 “Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations , who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘ Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people .’”

His reputation spread after parting the Red Sea
Joshua 2:9-10 “I (Rahab) know that the Lord has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us… we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt…”

Solomon and his wisdom
1 Kings 4:34 ” Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace
Daniel 3:29 “Therefore, I (Nebuchadnezzar) decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces… for no other God can save in this way.”

Daniel in the lions’ den
Daniel 6:26 ” I (Darius) issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel…”

For further study see Psalm 33:13-14, 67:1-7, 86:9-10, 96:3; Isaiah 11:9-10, 49:6, 52:10, 61:11; Jonah 4:11, Habakkuk 1:5, Zephaniah 2:11, Haggai 2:7, Zechariah 8:20-23, Malachi 1:11

The fulfillment of the promise that God would bless all nations through Abraham as well as many OT prophecies was of course, Jesus. When he died on the cross, he did so to redeem people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. He died for the sins of all, but only those that call on the name of the Lord can be saved from those sins because there is salvation in no other name.

As we transition to the New Testament the plot only thickens. Now Christ, God in flesh, enters the scene and what do we see in the pattern of His life and ministry? Nothing different. Whether it is taking a longer route to reach a Samaritan women (John 4:1-42) or healing various Gentiles to teach His followers (Mark 5:1-20, 7:24-30). Christ in the New Testament maintained the pattern established in the Old Testament. He had a heart that people from all nations come in to relationship with him.

It is important to note here that the word “nation” in the Bible comes from the Greek word ethne meaning ethnic groups. When we think of a nation, we usually think of a country like Mexico. However, the Bible is talking about people groups when it uses the word nation. There are 24,000 people groups on the earth and almost 7,000 of them are still considered unreached with the gospel.

Mark 11:15-17 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area designated for the Gentiles to worship and he found people buying and selling there. As He drove them out saying “Is it not written; ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations ‘?”

Why did Jesus get so angry in the temple? Because people were using it as a market rather than a place of prayer for all nations.
Matthew 24:14 “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations , and then the end will come.”

Jesus said this His gospel would be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all ethnic groups and then the end would come. We are supposed to live each day as if it could be the last, but Jesus himself said that His Word had to be preached to all nations before He would come back. Let’s reach the remaining people groups in our lifetime!
Matthew 28:18-20 “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus’ very last commandment before leaving this earth was to take His gospel to all nations/people groups. We should dedicate ourselves to that task until he returns.
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth .”

The main reason that the Lord has given us his Holy Spirit to dwell inside of us is so that we can be witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Revelation 7:9 “After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb …”

It is important to connect what is happening in Revelation with what God started in Genesis 12 in the life of Abraham. God will do it. There will be a representative from every nation, tribe, people, and language bowing and worshipping at His feet. Heaven is multicultural. God is a missionary God, and from cover to cover He is showing us His mission. God doesn’t want any to perish, but all to come to repentance. Will you join Him in bringing a representative from every people group to His throne? It will happen, the only question is will you be a part? The question remains:
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’
Rom: 10:15,16

by William Hannaford
http://crossfaithministry.org

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